The Oltrarno Craftsman

Our first month in Florence was right in the heart of the city landmarks, which coincidentally happens to be right in the middle of the tourists crowds. (You take the good with the bad.) This time around we're across the river in what seems like a totally different city. The tourists cross over to find a couple of landmarks such as the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, but for the most part, this is a neighborhood of locals called the Oltrarno. The nearby Santo Spirito square has been our home base. One reason is that we get internet access there, but it's also a great place for the kids to color, people watch, or simply take an evening stroll. During the day it's full of vendors selling everything from fresh produce to clothes. At night it's fills with people listening to the live music and enjoying their favorite bottle of vino. The Oltrarno is probably best known though for it's many craftsman. While wandering the small streets you'll likely stumble across a shoe cobbler, jewelry maker, guilder, painter, mosaic artist, or furniture restorer, just to name a few. Everyone has the door open and if you stop to take a look, you'll likely get a wave inside as they love to share their passion. Enrico showed us how to make marbled paper, a craft he learned from his father, who learned from his father, who... Using natural color pigments (even ladybug shells for red) he swirled the color with porcupine quills to make a beautiful keepsake for the kids. He also revealed that Martha Stewart found him a few years ago (pre-jail time he pointed out) and invited him to film a couple episodes of her TV show.
Angie skyping her mom and dad.

My sister Kalli and her friend Becca in front of Santo Spirito Church.

This is a cherry tree full of blossoms. One of Enrico's masterpieces.
This is an album Enrico handmade for us. From the marbled paper cover to the binding to the leather engraving. We plan to fill it with some of our best photos from the trip.